


malfeasance

by sirenofodysseus



Category: The Mentalist
Genre: Extortion, F/M, Gale Bertram's a dick, H/C bingo, Implied/Referenced Dubious Consent, Pre-Season 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 03:40:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15501528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sirenofodysseus/pseuds/sirenofodysseus
Summary: “The choice is yours, Teresa. What do you value most at the end of the day; your dignity or careers for you and your people?”Bertram has a proposition for Lisbon, following the events of the season 4 finale.





	malfeasance

**Author's Note:**

> I preface this fic by saying I'm a terrible, TERRIBLE person. However, I was rewatching s5 the other day and this idea just happened to pop into my head. Written for my extortion square on my H/C bingo card.

Wringing her hands together, Lisbon sat outside Director Bertram’s office. Without her team. _Without Jane_. She hoped she could convince the man to unsuspend them, as they had technically done nothing wrong—aside from participate in a sting gone awry to arrest Red John and unintentionally cause the death of Supervisory Agent Luther Wainwright.

 

She supposed the latter was far more Agent Darcy’s fault, as the FBI agent had gone in with her guns blazing. However, it still didn’t absolve the matter that they were all suspended pending an unpleasant disciplinary hearing. Jane had told her Bertram would ultimately end up dropping the matter, but Lisbon had her doubts. Bertram had forgiven them last year, only after Jane had made a fool out of Ray Haffner and the bureau but the Director had made it perfectly clear that they _were_ on very thin ice.

 

“Agent Lisbon,” Director Bertram interrupted her reverie, after what had felt like hours. She glanced up at him, as he stood in the doorway to his office. “I’m ready for you now.” Lisbon stood and stepped into his office, where he closed the door behind them both. “I was quite surprised, Agent, to see your name on my calendar considering the mess of things with the FBI and Lorelei Martins.” Lisbon grimaced at Bertram’s mention of Jane’s current obsession Lorelei Martins. It had been a week since Vegas and in-between the empty reassurances from Jane that they’d be fine, the consultant had not stopped _mentioning_ Red John’s pet in almost every other sentence.

 

Which was why, without Jane’s knowledge, she had scheduled the meeting with Bertram. If Jane had known her plan, he would have attempted to shoehorn his way in, only to bully the Director about the status and wellbeing of Lorelei Martins in the name of Red John. Of course, she cared about catching Red John too—but she also had other things to concern herself with; like the need to remain employed with and at the CBI.

 

“Director Bertram,” Lisbon replied, after a moment of silence. “That’s what I wanted to speak with you…”

 

Bertram sighed as he returned to sit behind his desk. “Agent Lisbon, as I already told Mr. Jane – I am unable to discuss the welfare of Lorelei Martins, until the FBI and the CBI come to a joint decision.” Lisbon frowned. When had Jane been to talk to Bertram? The last she had heard, he’d been terrorizing Cho and Rigsby into helping him break into one of the holding cells to see Lorelei. “So, if you’re here to discuss Ms. Martins, I’m afraid…”

 

“No,” Lisbon interrupted, as she cleared her throat. “I’m here to discuss our suspensions.” Bertram looked grave for a moment, before he nodded. “Director Bertram, again, I’m really sorry about our actions. However, we were extremely close to catching…”

 

“Red John?” Bertram finished for her and she nodded. “Quite frankly, Red John is the reason you and your unit continue to end up in these scenarios. I thought you, of all people, would have learned your lesson last year Agent.” Lisbon bit her tongue to keep from saying anything. The bureau had assigned them to catch Red John and nowhere in the CBI Handbook did it say _how_ they had to catch the aforementioned serial killer. “Instead, you continue to allow Mr. Jane to affect your subordinates. What will it be next, Agent? A brawl? A bloodletting?” Lisbon frowned and Bertram sighed again, as he glanced at her. “I’m sorry, Teresa, but I cannot have agents or consultants creating horrible headlines for the CBI. Do you _know_ what the media is calling us, thanks to Mr. Jane?” He glanced down at the _Sacramento Gazette_. “They’re calling us inadequate and unprofessional. Shettrick is beyond herself, as she’s exhausted all the possibilities of positive PR.” Lisbon had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Bertram concerned himself more with the reactions from the media than he did about bringing Red John to justice. “We’ve discussed possible solutions and one, unfortunately, would be the permanent removal of you and your unit.”

 

Lisbon froze. Would they really do that? _Could_ they really do that? She realized that if Bertram and Shettrick were desperate enough, they’d most certainly do that—especially for cheap political points. “Sir, please…”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Agent,” Bertram interrupted her again, as he started to laugh. “If I fired all five of you, I’d be crucified.” She stared at him. “However, I only need to fire _one_ of you to make a point.” His sharp smile told her _she’d_ be the one they fired, considering she’d greenlit the entire plot to lure Red John. “I can see the wheels turning in your head, Agent Lisbon, but I doubt I need to explain. _Someone_ has to pay the price and as leader of the Serious Crimes Unit, I’m sure you can see where I’m heading with this.”

 

Lisbon nodded, as she swallowed roughly. “Yes, sir.” Bertram glanced down at his desk and Lisbon laced her fingers together. She had diligently risen through the ranks of law enforcement to become the Senior Agent for the Serious Crimes Unit and yet again, because of _Red John_ , she had to possibly end her career. Of course, she had no regrets. She hadn’t done anything wrong to stop Red John, regardless of the bureau’s, the media’s—and Director Bertram’s— inane ideology. She opened her mouth again to accept her fate, when he spoke instead.

 

“There are, of course, ways we could smooth past this entire _situation_.” Lisbon closed her mouth and tilted her head to eye Bertram, who had yet to glance up from his own desk. “Your permanent file wouldn’t need to reflect this little…slip-up and we could continue as if this never happened.” Lisbon furrowed her eyebrows. It wasn’t as though the entire bureau—and the media—could just forget that they’d (and the FBI) had completely botched the entire operation, which left Agent Luther Wainwright dead.

 

Or could they?

 

She continued to stare at Bertram.

 

“Do I still have your attention, Agent Lisbon?” She reluctantly nodded and he glanced up from his desk, a small frown on his face. “Considering this was such a massive infringement of your duty, you’ll need to prove yourself worthy of your job.” Lisbon blinked in confusion. “Don’t act all coy, Teresa. I’m willing to forgo all your infringements. All of your _team’s_ infringements too.” He paused to smile. “As long as you’ll sleep with me.” Lisbon’s mouth dropped. He wanted her to do what? She glanced around the office, in the hope that someone would jump out and yell _gotcha_. But after a moment of silence, she knew such a thing wasn’t about to happen. “If you sleep with me, Agent Lisbon, you and your team can keep your jobs. Hell,” his smile grew. “I’ll even ensure your unit keeps Lorelei Martins, so you all can take the collar on Red John.”

 

She swallowed, feeling the bile rising in her throat.

 

“But if you don’t,” he continued, his voice even. “I’ll make sure that all of you, down to that sweet little naïve Agent of yours, is blackballed from every law enforcement department from here to kingdom come.” He kept smiling as though he weren’t extorting her for _sex_. “The choice is yours, Teresa. What do you value most at the end of the day; your dignity or careers for you and your people?”  

 

Lisbon knew her answer, before he even finished the end of his question as she was already shrugging off her blazer.


End file.
